Article 15: CBFC grants Anubhav Sinha-Ayushmann Khurrana's social drama U/A certificate after 5 modifications

Ayushmann Khurrana's Article 15 has been granted a U/A certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification, after five suggested cuts in the film.

A still from Article 15 teaser. YouTube

The CBFC has asked the makers to remove a scene in the film where the national flag falls into the fire, and replace a suggestive word with a toned-down version. It has also asked for a 30 percent reduction of visuals depicting people being beaten up. Moreover, an AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India) compliance certificate was also demanded, along with a Hindi voice-over giving out a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie, reports Indo-Asian News Service.

The film, helmed by Anubhav Sinha, has been courting controversies for a while now. After a fringe outfit Parshuram Sena alleged that the movie shows Brahmins in poor light, there were reports that Sinha's effigies were being burnt outside theatres to stop the film's release. Karni Sena threatened to disallow the film's screening in theatres.

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Reacting to the furore over the film's contentious subject matter, the director confirmed that the film had been awarded a U/A certificate and that it was "time people respected institutions (like the CBFC)". He also said that while he does not have an issue with people disagreeing with his vision, he believes that "such overt threats must stop, once and for all. Filmmakers can't be constantly bullied."

Article 15 follows Ayushmann Khurrana, who plays a cop investigating the gangrape and murder of two girls from the Dalit community because they demanded a raise of Rs 3.

The film is reportedly loosely based on the 2014 Badaun rape case, where two girls were allegedly gang-raped and hanged to death from a tree.

Isha Talwar, Sayani Gupta, Manoj Pahwa Kumud Mishra, M Nassar, Ashish Verma, Sushil Pandey, Shubrajyoti Bharat, Ronjini Chakraborty, and Zeeshan Ayyub are also part of the cast.

Article 15 is scheduled to hit theatres on 28 June.